Menlo Park, Calif. — Mitsubishi, Epson, and Optoma earned the first three spots as the top front data and TV projector brands in the 11th annual North American dealer survey by Pacific Media Associates.
Respondants ranked Mitsubishi first or second in marketing support, products, and after-sale support.
“The market for front projectors is more competitive than ever,” said Michael Abramson, who directs Pacific Media’s research on front projectors and was project manager for the survey.
“Most dealers carry multiple product lines, so manufacturers have to do more than just make good products. They must provide compelling sales, marketing, and technical support programs if they are to capture a dealer’s mindshare and market share.”
The survey ranks 25 aspects of marketing support, products, and after-sale support according to their importance to dealers. Dealers then rated their key suppliers on each of these aspects. Ratings were based on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good).
Manufacturers with high scores on the more important aspects posted higher overall composite scores than those who scored well on less-important aspects. The report includes numerical ratings for each manufacturer for each aspect. This data can help manufacturers learn whether efforts to improve certain aspects are yielding results, and to see where they lag behind their competitors.
The two companies with the best ratings for the most important five aspects are:
- Capable Dealer Reps – Runco, NEC
- Good Price/Performance – Optoma, Mitsubishi
- On-Time Delivery – Sanyo, Hitachi
- Product Quality/Reliability – Mitsubishi, Eiki
- Responsive Support Persons – NEC, Toshiba
The two companies with the highest composite scores in the areas of marketing support, products, and after-sale support are.
- Marketing Support – NEC, Mitsubishi
- Products – Optoma, Mitsubishi
- After Sale Support – Epson, Mitsubishi